Follow your heart
by LadyofaLifetime
Summary: Legolas/OFc, 10th walker. Rowena was thrown in ME. Join her struggles, laughter, sadness, friendship and love as you read this story. Rated M: Just to be sure. Follows the movie.
1. Chapter 1

It was a rainy Sunday. Rowena sat curled in the corner of the couch her face buried in her favourite book, The Lord Of The Rings.

As she read the first lines of the last chapter, de clock decreed it twelve o'clock. She didn't pay attention to the time and read further.

After the decree, the clocked kept banging. 'Yes yes, I know the time.' She said annoyed and closed the book. 'Time to go to bed.' Waving an annoyed hand at the clock while glaring at it.

Rowena rose from her warm spot of the couch and walked over to the bookshelf on the other side of the room.

A breeze caressed the bare skin of her neck. Her back stiffened. What could make it breeze inside the house, without she had opened a window? After the following happenings, she wished she had never asked that question.

The doors and windows clapped at the strength of the hard wind, and objects started moving. Rowena couldn't do anything but stare. This gave her the feeling as if she was playing a scene in a horror movie.

The wind became stronger by the second, by the time common sense had made a way into her head, she couldn't move.

_This is not good_. She told herself again and again as Rowena held her eyes closed.

Rowena woke up feeling groggy and confused. Squinting her eyes, to avoid the bright light of the room she was currently in. The low sound of voices drifted over from one side, gradually getting louder as she became more awake. She tried to sit up more properly. When she opened her eyes the sight in front of her made her blink an awful lot.

It was the strangest thing she had ever seen. The men, if they were even men, wore heavy armor and all had long hair. Some fair, some sturdy and bearded.

She stared at hem. They stared back. And through the tense silence, Rowena couldn't help but think how the half of this group looked like the Fellowship.

'Impossible.' She muttered.

The men began to murmur amongst themselves, their eyes never leaving her.

Rowena scrambled to stand and looked at the stone plinth. A gold ring, lay in the middle of it, reflecting everyone around her. Someone behind her startled her to no end when he cleared his throat.

'What..uh..What do you want?' She asked shakily. Silently she hoped her voice sounded more confident than she felt.

She was meet with another silent moment where they simply stared at her and exchanged glances with each other. A tall man clad in grey robes rose from his seat and stepped forward.

He offered her a kind yet cautious smile. 'I beg your pardon, my lady,' he said. 'You are not from this world.' He continued in a soft and comforting voice. Rowena took a few steps back. She took a few moments to process his words till she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

'Is this some kind of joke?' She asked and laughed shakily. 'Did my friends set this up to scare me or something?'

A frown appeared on the man his face and looked down at her. 'This is not a joke, my lady.'

Rowena blinked a few times. Her friends knew how to push a prank too far.

'You fell out of the sky and landed here.' He pointed with his staff at the point she had landed.

Another figure approached her from her left and she turned around violently. This one looked different compared to the old man. He was as tall as the other was, but he appeared younger. Dark hair draped over his shoulders, a crown on his forehead. The way he held himself, made him look royal.

'My lady?' he said. His brows raised curiously in her direction, waiting for her reply. Rowena balled her fists, ready to punch anyone who dared to take a step closer her way.

'I mean you no harm, my lady.' He said calmly, 'I am Lord Elrond, these men won't hurt you either.' He gestured to the group behind her.

Rowena breathed in sharply. Had he just said _Lord Elrond_?

'This woman is a witch.' Boromir arose from his seat and eyed her suspiciously. 'No one appears out of the sky all of sudden.' He came threatening close, making Rowena take a few steps backwards in fear. Fire glistened in his eyes.

'Boromir!' The grey clothed man called out. 'Seat yourself.' The man did as ask, his eyes never leaving her.

'What is going on here?' she whispered, more to herself. Badly for her, Gandalf had heard her.

'I should introduce myself,' the grey clothed man said, 'My name is Gandalf. Gandalf the Grey.'

Rowena's heart skipped a beat. Rowena nodded sheepishly as he continued to introduce the rest of the group.

She found it hard to look at them, for they were intimidating with the heavy armor. It scared the hell out of her.

Gandalf gestured for her to take the seat he was occupying just previously. He shared a look with Lord Elrond before he asked, 'Who are you?' a hint of amusement in his eyes.

'Rowena, Rowena Starling.' She answered timidly.

The council went back to the matter of the Ring as Boromir spoke.

'One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep and the great eye is ever watchful. It's a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breath is poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this.' He shook his head as he added, 'This is folly.'

Legolas jumped to his feet. 'Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The ring must be destroyed.'

'And I suppose you think you're the one to do it.' Gimli got to his feet as well to address the elf.

'And if we fail what then?' Boromir chimed in. 'What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?'

'I will be dead before I see the ring in the hands of an elf.' Gimli roared. 'Never trust an elf.'

Gandalf shook his head. Rowena watched the arguing and almost jumped out of her skin as she heard Frodo beside her. The entire time the hobbit was so quiet, she had almost forgotten he was there.

'I will take it!' he stood up from his seat and took a step towards the bickering men. They didn't hear him. 'I will take it!' he repeated louder.

'I will take the ring to Mordor. Though I do not know the way.'

The council stopped and looked at him in awe. Gandalf walked over to him and made him a promise to aid him as long it was Frodo's burden to carry.

Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Boromir made their oaths as well. A rustling in the bushes gained everyone's attention, followed by a shout. Sam popped up from behind it. 'Mr. Frodo isn't going anywhere without me.'

Lord Elrond looked at him a small knowing look on his face. 'No indeed. It is hardly to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret meeting and you are not.' His voice amusing.

Merry and Pippin came behind some pillars. 'We're coming too. You'll have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us.' Merry called as they stood prtectivly in front of Frodo.

'Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission, quest, thing.'

'That rules you out Pip.'

'Nine companions. So be it. You shall be the fellowship of the ring.' Elrond mused proudly.

'Right,' Pippin said with a cheerful grin, 'Where are we going?'

Rowena smiled at the blunt dumbness of Pippin, seeing how serious everything was. Merry gave him a serious look and nudged him with his elbow. The fellowship stared curiously at her, making her twitch uncomfortably.

Elrond dismissed everyone from the council and thanked them for their attendance, leaving only him, Gandalf and Rowena behind.

Elrond paced in front of them, Rowena felt even more uncomfortable as even possible. Gandalf placed his hand gently on her shoulders, giving her some comfort.

'Where do you come from?' he asked her.

'London.' She stuttered.

Elrond frowned and Gandalf seemed just as confused as he was.

'Where is this London, you speak of?' Gandalf asked, ever politely.

'England.'

'England?' Gandalf repeated. His hand rose to his forehead wearily and turned to Lord Elrond as they spoke to one another in the Elvish couldn't follow anything from it, even if she tried to. She turned to take in the beauty of Rivendell. Now that she was here, she had to make the best of it.

Her eyes fell on the fellowship, preparing for the road ahead. She let her eyes wander over them until they fell upon an elf. His beauty set her heart on fire.

His silky blond hair ran over his shoulders, framing his masculine face. He gazed up, his ocean blue eyes locked with her own emerald green ones. Rowena blushed a deep red and turned around fiercely. She had noticed the confused expression on Legolas his face as she disappeared from his sight.

The voice of Elrond pulled her out of her musings. 'You shall accompany the fellowship till the woods of Lotlorien. The lady Galadriel will have more insight to your purpose here.'

'I can't come with them.' Rowena stuttered. 'Is there no other way for me to return to my own world?'

Elrond and Gandalf glanced at each other till Gandalf spoke, 'I don't know, let us wait what the lady of Light has to say.'

Her own question made her think. It wasn't as simple as a walk in the park. She was magically transported from her living room to be dropped into the middle of a council meeting, of all places! She knew it couldn't be easy. From the little knowledge she had from Middle-Earth and its inhabitants, it was that Gandalf and Elrond were one of the few who possessed much knowledge. If they couldn't answer her question, who could? Rowena hoped that Lady Galadriel could help her.

**Thanks for reading. :)**

**Leave me a review, the more following chappies will come :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Enjoy! :)**

Rowena laid on the bed in the room the elves had given her. She had no place among the fellowship. They were battle trained warriors, except for the hobbits. How could she help them?! She was just a mere human, no powers, no knowledge of fighting battles. She will be nothing more than a burden.

Her future was uncertain at this point. Everyone and everything she knew was gone. But for how long? Lord Elrond had mentioned to Gandalf that there may not be a way for her to return home. If only Lady Galadriel had answers for her. For the first time in her life, Rowena didn't know what to do. She only knew she had to accompany them to the woods of Lothlorien, too await her desetiny.

Rowena couldn't sleep that night, her mind wandered away to the dangers they would face on the road. An iron fist clenched around her heart as she thought about the Balrog in Moria and the swarm of orcs. Giving up on sleep, she opened her eyes and rolled over, facing the balcony of her room and staring at the moon and stars until she found her mind numb enough to sleep.

It was a soft nudge at her shoulder that eventually woke her. She felt like she had barely slept, tempted to roll over and cover her ears with a fluffy pillow to return into oblivion. The idea was pushed aside when she heard a soft, melodic voice. Rowena opened her eyes to see Arwen standing with a bunch of clothing in her hands, smiling down at her.

'_Quel amrun_, Rowena.' She almost sang. Rowena scrunched her eyes and shrugged at the words of the Lady of Rivendell.

'It means good morning.' She smiled.

'Quel amrun to you to.' Rowena stumbled over the words leaving her lips, earning a smile from Arwen as she placed the bundle of clothes on a chair in the corner of the room.

'The maids have made some clothes for your journey ahead.' Arwen smiled at her and left the room.

Rowena wasn't so eager to come with them, but she had no other choice. She climbed out of the large bed and got dressed in brown trousers, green tunic with a brown leather chestplate, darkbrown boots covering her lower legs. All was made of soft material, feeling very comfortable around her slender form.

'Is it true you're from another world?' She broke the tense silence.

'Depends,' she said, lacing her boots up. Rowena paced through the room and ended on the balcony. Staring at the leaves of the trees that were being stirred by the small breeze.

'Is this really Middle-Earth?' She asked without hope, not expecting this was a set up from her friends as she had thought it to be yesterday.

'Yes.'

Rowena sighed and sat herself next to Arwen. 'Yes, I'm from another world. It is as I feared, I still can't believe it, this is just impossible.'

Arwen placed an comforting hand on hers and smiled encouragingly. 'Nothing is impossible Rowena.'

Rowena saw that Arwen wanted to say more as they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

'Come in.' Arwen answered . They were met an elven maiden who inclined her head and informed them that the fellowship was leaving.

Rowena joined the fellowship, standing next to Gandalf, just outside Rivendell. She looked around her curiously till the voice of Lord Elrond startled her.

'The ringbearer is setting out in the quest of Mount Doom and you who will travel with him no oath nor bond is laid to go further than you will. Farewell. Hold to your purpose and may the blessing of elves, and men and all free folk go with you.' He raised his hand and gestured for them to leave.

'The fellowship awaits the ringbearer.' Gandalf addressed Frodo. He leads out the company and they left Rivendell.

Rowena was very well aware of the reaction of the others to her joining them. When she arrived at the gate to leave with them, she immediately noticed each person's different stance towards her. Aragorn had smiled at her and entered a small conversation. Gimli eyed her with every suspicion in his body. The little encounter she had the previous evening at the council with Boromir, gave him away. She knew he hated she was coming along, as he thought she was a witch. He made it very clear to the others as well as he openly scoffed at her when she stood next to Aragorn, earning a stern glare from the ranger. Boromir made her feel very uncomfortable and she tried to put as much distance between them as possible.

Gandalf had smiled warmly at her and inclined his head at her with an amused twinkle in his eyes. The hobbits were delighted to learn she was joining them. Frodo and Sam were still a bit weary for they didn't knew if they could trust her immediately. Merry and Pippin were on the contrary. They almost knocked her over with their embraces in joy, though they hardly knew her.

It was Legolas, the elf, that had surprised her. He'd been staring at her with an unreadable expression, his jaw clenched tight and his eyes bore into hers but there was something warm in those blue orbs. Something Rowena couldn't put her finger on.

Rowena was the last one to walk through the gates of Rivendell, glancing over her shoulder one last time, Lord Elrond smiled at her. Rowena managed to gave him a weak smile, before she followed the voices of the hobbits talking about dinner. It made her stomach grumble, reminding her she hadn't eaten since yesterday.

When she rounded the corner, she bumped into a solid chest. Her head shot upwards to see it was Legolas she had bumped into. She offered an apology and kept her eyes trained everywhere but him. He inclined his head at her as if he accepted her apology.

Rivendell disappeared in the background as they walked on. They hiked up between jagged, rocky paths and walked through deep grass. She had never been a runner or walker, she hardly ever had the need to. She brushed a strand of hair from her eyes and breathed in sharply. She had walked the entire trip at the end of the group. Merry and Pippin had noticed her damping spirits and slowed down to walk beside her. Their playfulness and mischief baffled her to no end. It was also the reason she liked to be with them.

Sweat beaded down her face as she hauled herself up a rocky path with gnarled roots, almost topping over for the countless time that day. 'This is madness.' She cursed, navigating her way down the other side. Noticing the fellowship had waited for her at the bottom. Merry and Pippin smiled at her as they throbbed next to her again.

Rowena was so distracted by the funny hobbits she hadn't seen the formation buried deep in the ground. 'Ouch!' she cursed as she face planted on the dirty ground. Merry and Pippin roared with laughter as a hand appeared into her line of sight and she looked up to stare at Legolas. He looked confused at her as she didn't took his outstretched hand.

Rowena raised her hand to take his and Legolas pulled her back to her feet, steadying her with his other hand on her shoulder as she rocked for a moment.

'Thank you,' She said, flushing lightly as she brushed her dirty hands on her trousers. Earning a smile from the elf. 'Now I'm dirty.' She silently scoffed herself as she tried to brush away the dirt on her clothes. Legolas let out a soft, melodic chuckle.

As they continued with their journey, the good mood didn't last long. Rowena groaned softly as she felt her feet throb against the heel of her boots. They may be made for hiking but her feet weren't used to it. Her steps became more jumpy as the balls of her feet tried to avoid the ground.

Gandalf halted and Rowena let her fall down on the hard floor as he announced they had to make camp. Sam and Frodo made a fire with the dry twigs they could find in the area and Sam started to make a stew from their provisions. Just as Rowena wanted to ask if she could help, a hand was placed on her shoulder.

'Are you well?' Aragorn whispered as he kneeled in front of her. 'Yes,' Aragorn raised a disbelieving eyebrow and Rowena cringed at the blatant lie. 'No, I'm just not used to walking so far, that's all.'

Aragorn smiled reassuringly at her and pulled off her boots. 'Journeying on foot is a great feat for one as you, Lady Rowena. Let me aid you.' Rowena's head flushed a shade of red as he massaged her small feet with some ointment. It felt cool against her heated skin and silently she was grateful. After he was done with her feet she immediately felt an improvement. She arose from the rocky ground and her feet didn't felt sore anymore.

'Thank you, Aragorn.' She smiled, she felt the urge to hug him, but thought it would be considered very inappropriate in this world.

'You're welcome.' He replied, putting the salve back in his pack.

Rowena joined the rest of the fellowship around the campfire. She seated herself next to Pippin and Gandalf.

'Are you hungry, Lady Rowena?' Aragorn asked while Sam devided the stew in portions.

'Yes, actually I am.' She said, wondering how long it had been since she had last eaten. Aragorn gave her a crude plate, containing stew and dry bread. She thanked him and ate it without complaint, surprised by the sensations of taste.

**Thanks for reading:) Leave me a review, share your thoughts. **


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hi there! You all had a nice christmas? I wanted to update sooner, but the holidays got in the way. I spend them with my family, so there was no space for me to upload. Therefor an extra long chappie :) and finally some interaction between Legolas and Rowena!**_

That night Rowena went to bed early. It was a long day and she felt more than tired. Her mind was numb enough to sleep and she placed her bedroll near the fire. She rumbled in her backpack to see if the elves had given her something to use for a pillow. With nothing to find she decided to use her cloak. She clipped it loose from around her neck and folded it neatly. She took a blanket from her pack and laid down. When her head touched the makeshift pillow she felt in a deep slumber.

The soft mumbling of voices eventually woke her. Rowena rolled over to her back and scrunched her eyes tightly at the pain she felt in her legs and back. Her legs had carried her the entire previous day, so it was obvious they hurt. For her back, well, she wasn't used to sleep on a rocky ground.

Aragorn heard little noise behind him and casted a look over his shoulder. He smiled as he saw the young woman was waking up, but the smile disappeared when he saw her face in pain. He arose from the log and walked towards her. Aragorn placed his hand on her shoulder and shook slightly.

'Rowena, breakfast is ready. We're leaving soon.' He whispered. The woman grumbled something he couldn't understand and shook her again lightly. She opened her eyes and sat up properly.

'The sun had not yet even risen.' She grumbled and glared at him. 'I know, but we need to move on.' He said simply.

'Are you well?' His eyes wandered over her body, checking for any injuries. 'How are your feet?'

Rowena was a bit taken aback by his protectiveness, at the same time she had found it very sweet as well. So she decided not to comment on it.

'I'm fine.' She smiled reassuringly. 'The muscles in my legs are hurt of the long walking and my back hurts from the rocky ground. That's all. My feet are fine.' Rowena said as she crumbled to her feet.

Aragorn said nothing but inclined his head at her as he steadied her. 'You should stretch your back.'

Rowena looked at him as if he had grown a second head. 'It's not that bad.' She said.

'No, but it will help from getting worse.' So Rowena did as was told, she stretched her back. She didn't admit it to him, but the pain slowly faded. It was still there, but not as much as it was before.

Breakfast was silence. Rowena sat on a log between Merry and Pippin. They were too busy with eating their breakfast, that they didn't said a thing. She ate her share of bread and cheese, took a few sips of her water skin and decided to pack her back, as Aragorn had announced they would leave immediately after breakfast.

Rowena took her blanket, folded it neatly and stuffed it in her pack. Her cloak, she clipped it back around her neck. The last thing she had to pack was her bedroll. She rolled it up and then she was lost. _How am I getting this attached to my pack?! _ Rowena thought as she tried everything she could think of. She let out a grumble of frustration.

Long slender fingers took the bedroll from her hands. Rowena looked up to stare into the blue eyes of Legolas. He attached it to her pack and eyed her curiously. He looked at her as if he was memorizing every inch of her face. Rowena felt very uncomfortable under his gaze and looked away. A sly blush creeping up her neck and cheeks.

'We're moving on!' Aragorn called from the other side of their camp. Rowena grabbed her pack and muttered a thank you to the elf, before she hurried away from his uncomforting gaze. Legolas's curious expression faded and made place for utter confusion. He walked over to the rest and their journey continued.

The next following days continued like that. Early to bed, early to rise. Even before sunrise! Rowena wasn't happy about this and made it well known to Aragorn, who in his turn laughed and teased her about it. She loved to sleep long. Especially after a long day of hiking, walking and pain! Especially the pain in her legs, it was unbearable. 'You will get used to it.' Aragorn had told her. 'That's the point.' She grumbled,'I don't want to get used to it.' Aragorn had laughed about that and increased his pace till he walked beside Gandalf. Leaving Rowena behind, mumbling curses to herself.

The sun had set and they made camp. After dinner, Boromir decided it was a good idea to train the little hobbits. Rowena remembered the scene from the movie, enjoying herself while watching it in real life. A small smile tugged at her lips every time they tried to trick on the man.

She sat on a boulder, playing with a strand of her hair. Braiding it and unbraiding it. Rowena had grown to know all the members of the fellowship. She was the closest with Aragorn, with whom she would sit down and speak from time to time, or rather she'd speak and he'd listen. He was like an _older_ brother she never had.

Merry and Pippin, what could she say about that?! They were the _little_ brothers she never had. They were funny, overloading her with questions about herself, which she tried to answer as best as she could without telling them she was from another world. Gimli was not longer suspicious about her as he'd been their previous encounter. He actually sought out her company a lot. He would tell the tales about the dwarves, especially when he was a dwarfling. He would play pranks on the elder dwarves with Fili and Kili.

Frodo and Sam had warmed up to her as well. They began to accept her as a part of the fellowship and it was refreshing to have a woman in their midst. Sam loved to exchange recipes with her and asked her if she would help him cook dinner that night. Rowena loved to cook, but that was in her kitchen back home. She didn't knew how to make dinner in the open wild. But she loved a challenge and with a smile she accepted his offer.

Boromir still made it known for them all that he was displeased she had come along. It had begun to irritate Rowena and she tried to avoid him as best as she could. Boromir wouldn't wish it differently. The intense stares Legolas gave her from time to time, made her feel utterly awkward. When they sat by the fire, he placed himself across from her and just stared at her. During the day he walked behind her. As if he was ready to catch a bullet for her. A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of the elf. It wasn't a negative feeling, it was rather a pleasant feeling. Now, this made her feel more awkward than she already felt.

If she had been anywhere else Rowena would have been bored out of her mind. But being in the land of her dreams, she looked in awe at the lands that surrounded her.

'I can't believe I am actually in Middle-Earth.' She thought, not realizing she had said it out loud.

Aragorn had heard her. 'It's strange,' he said as he placed himself next to her on the rock, 'You are from another world, and yet you seem so familiar with Middle-Earth.' Rowena startled at his statement, it wasn't the first time she had let something slip from her lips. When he heard her mumbling about doctors, cars, bicycles and pizza he had thought she had gone mental. He hurried to her side and asked what was wrong. When she noticed she had voiced her thoughts out loud, she realized she couldn't keep it a secret anymore. At least, not to him. Gandalf may have told her to not tell anyone about her otherworldly heritage. But she had screwed it up now anyway. How could she explain to him about _cars and bicycles_?! It didn't excist in this world!So she decided to trust him and she told him she was from Earth, the sister planet from Middle-Earth.

'I have heard about Middle-Earth, but in my world it is a fictional place.' She said, still gazing at the scenery in front of her. She had figured out it was safe to share this information with Aragorn, as long as she didn't tell him they were a part as well in one of those stories. 'I've read some stories about this world.' She blushed, her eyes still fixated on the horizon.

'What kind of stories?' Gimli asked interestingly. Rowena had loved Gimli in the movies, the way he interacted with the elf, his attitude and the funny dwarf he was. She was startled first when she heard him joining in their conversation. She had trusted Aragorn to tell him, now she wasn't sure she could tell any more. After fighting an internal battle whether she could tell any more, she choose to do it. She was stuck with them for some couple of weeks. And speaking of Earth made her feel like she was home home. By the way, Aragorn knew she was not from here. What did it matter if the others knew as well? Why couldn't she tell them?

Rowena thought for a moment, trying to come up with something. 'The quest of Erebor.' She smiled at the dwarf as his eyes went wide.

'You know about the quest of the Lonely mountain?' He whispered befuddled.

'That's one of the stories I know.'

'What others are there?' Aragorn asked gently as he sharpened his blade.

Rowena smiled knowingly. She couldn't tell them about the quest of mount doom. That was the future.

'I'm pretty familiar with the general lay-out of Middle-Earth. On Earth we may not have things like Dwarves, Elves, or Wizards, but I know what they are.'

'Are there any games from your world?' Gimli asked with a childlike smile on his bearded face. Rowena couldn't help but smile at him. She thought for a moment and decided to play eye spy. It wasn't a wonderful game, but it was easy for her to explain.

Gimli had made sure all the members of the fellowship would join in the game, even Boromir.

'Where is Legolas?' Pippin asked as he glanced around in search for any sign of the elf.

Rowena followed Aragon's gaze to where the elf was standing on the rock Rowena was leaning against to. Once again, the very sight of the elf stole her breath away. The wind tugged gently at his silky hair, but never put it out of place. She blushed as she stared at him, especially when she noticed he'd stared back.

'Come and join us Legolas!' Merry called happily.

As quick as a snake and with the grace of a cat, he leapt from the rock and neatly landed in front of Rowena. Her eyes showed fear and awe at the same time. How did he manage to drop what must have been ten feet without hurting himself?! She drifted her eyes away from him, whose brow furrowed in confusion.

Never in his life had he met a woman like her before. The clothing she had worn when she crashed into Rivendell was unusual, strange patterns, color and cloth. Long black lashes framed her emerald green eyes, brown locks dangled around her face. He would never say that humans were beautiful creatures, but she was a sight to behold.

And why was she avoiding him? Her closeness with Aragorn and the hobbits he could understand. But why the dwarf? What does Gimli has what he couldn't offer her?

'Okay lass, you start.' Gimli said as he patted her knee in a fatherly manner.

Rowena thought about it for a moment before she said in a sing song voice, 'Eye spy with my little eye, something beginning with…H.'

The company thought it over.

'Hair?'

'No.'

'Horizon?'

'No.'

'Hands?'

'No.'

'Hobbit?'

'No.'

'Hill?'

'No.'

They thought it over for even longer. Their faces scrunched in utter concentration.

'Give up?' She asked with a twinkle of sly amusement in her eyes.

'Never!' Pippin said, earning a few chuckles from the rest of the fellowship. Rowena laughed and froze at the soft, melodic yet masculine voice.

'Hooves,' Legolas said from her left, his face showing no emotion, his eyes boring into her soul. The depth smothered her. His lips quirked into a wide smile as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and lend back to a rock casually. 'Isn't it, my lady?'

'Yes, it is.' She smiled back, 'But stop with the my lady thing. It's just Rowena.' Legolas inclined his head at her wish and said, 'As you wish, Rowena.' The way he said her name made her spine tingle. It rolled from his tongue like a sweet melody.

Rowena was suprised by the interaction she had with Legolas. The previous week he had been staring at her. She had to admit she'd stared back, but he had never said anything to her. And here they were, playing eye spy, and he just talked to her! And not just talking at that, in the most casual way only she had the privelege to see! Rowena laughed inwardly and a huge smile decorated her lips. _What would all the fangirls think if they were to see this?_

Legolas's gaze drifted from her smile to something black approaching them. It looked like a cloud, but it was moving too fast against the wind. He narrowed his eyes so he could see it better.

'Legolas, what do you see?' Gandalf asked concerned. Everyone jumped from their seat and looked at the fast approaching black thing in the sky.

'It's just a whisp of cloud.' Gimli said annoyed.

'It's moving fast, against the wind.' Boromir called as he eyes the black thing.

'Crebain from Dudland!' Legolas called out in alarm.

'Hide!' Aragorn called and everyone gathered their stuff in such a speed. Rowena could only stare in shock at the manly madness in front of her. Someone grabbed her wrist and she was pulled under a bush. Her head collided with the corner of a rock as that person had shoved her to the ground. A hard, solid body covered hers, pinning against the dirt. She opened her eyes to see what had happened and she looked in blue orbs, only a inch from her face. A small gasp escaped her lips as she lay motionless, shocked and startled by his sudden closeness.

The crebain circled above them for several time, shrieking in their high pitched voices before they flew away.

Rowena was very well aware of every movement the elf made as he slowly scribbled back to his feet and before he walked away, he looked at her with the most shocked expression she had ever seen. She wasn't only confused by the fact the elf reacted when he stood up, it was the tingle she had felt when their eyes locked. It was like a bolt of electricity slid through her entire body.

She scribbled back from under the bush and her head tolled before she could stand properly.

'Are you hurt?' Aragorn asked her softly, reaching up and lightly brushed her hair out of the way from the cut on her forehead.

'No,' Rowena whispered, flinching away from his touch. She took a deep breath to calm herself, but her heart was still racing from having Legolas pressed against her.

'It's not a deep cut.' Aragorn pulled her out of her musings, leaning closer to inspect it.

'I said, I'm fine.' She snapped, immediately regretting her outburst as she saw the befuddled look on Aragorn's face. 'I'm sorry.' She added timidly. 'I didn't mean to snap.'

'It's okay, Rowena. I understand.' He smiled.

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**_XX_**


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